Magic Item Value

[Alex Koponen]

I've been pondering the economics in P&P. One of the areas that has a big
affect on Characters is the cost of magical items. As per standard
economics the prices should vary according to scarcity and need. If every
village has someone creating magic items the costs will be a lot lower than
if there are only a couple enchanters in the whole kingdom. Similarly a
Flask of Everflowing Water is a lot more valuable in the Parched Desert
than it would be in the Land of Lakes.

  Based on my estimate of the Perilous Lands usual magic scarcity I offer a
proposed variation on the Magic Item Value rules.

FIRST a reprise of the current rules:...................................

Magic Item Value
Book IV
If you desire to determine a gold coin value for the various magic items,
the following general rule can be used to get a rough estimate of what an
item is worth.

The base factor equals MEL + EL.
If the item's effect is only on the wearer or requires another substance to
operate, multiply the base factor times 2.
If the item has magical powers, provides important defensive advantages or
is a weapon, multiply the base factor times 5.
If a weapon has a castable magic power, or an item is named or special,
multiply the base factor by 10.

IMPORTANT - In all cases, if an item is of non-human manufacture, double
its final value nless the person who is selling it is a member of the race
that made it.

EXAMPLE - A player has a chance to buy a Cure Amulet that is dipped in wine
to create a curing potion. It is MEL5/EL2. Its value is 14GC. Another
player has a chance to purchase an Attribute Effect amulet that increases
Strength while decreasing Empathy and grants EL2 Immunity to Fire Powers.
If it is MEL6/MEL2, its value is 40GC.A named item, MEL18/EL9, is worth a
prince's ransom. An item of his type will sell for 270GC.

NOTE - The Referee can vary these prices as specified in the Economic
Variation rules. In all cases, the items only have their full value if the
buyer believes that they are magic. If he is not a trained magic-user, this
is determined to a great extent by who the seller is, i.e. if a field slave
walks up and offers to sell a named sword, the buyer is not likely to
believe him.

Determining Values for Natural Magic Items
Book Four contains a large listing of items that can be used in play. These
items have been left to the Referee to a large degree, for determining cost
and other parameters. To aid you in this, the following rules can be used
to derermine an average cost for a given unenhanced or enhanced natural
magic item.

Unenhanced

If the item grants no benefit when it is unenhanced, assign a base value of
1D6BB OR whatever the listed value of that item or material in the
equipment tables.
Where the item has some unenhanced value, its cost will be (unless specific
value is specified elsewhere), detemined using the following steps:
The base value is 1+ (Characteristic Increase/10(RU)) + (EL80 skill
increase/10 RU)) + BL + MEL + EL in Silver Coins.
The base value is modified by multipliers in the following cases. All
multipliers are totalled before being used:
Per power or attribute that does not relate to any of the factors used in
the formula above - x1.5
Items with poisonous or magical attributes that are not death spells or
poisons. - x2 per power.
Items that are fatal if they have their desired effect - x3 per power.
Items that have (by the decision of the Referee) a very special power or
attribute - x5, 10 or 20 (depending on the decision of the Referee).

Enhanced
Enhanced forms of these items will use the basic rules above. In addition,
after all other multiplication, their value is doubled because their power
has been enhanced by a magic-user.

Important
In all cases, the result of this formula will be a number of SILVER COINS.
This number is the average value of that item. The Referee can modify the
value, as specified in the Economic Variation rules, to fit the local
situation.

Where values are specified for treasure items. i.e. gems, hides, crystal,
etc, the value determined for its special values will be either part of the
value of item OR additionall to it. Which option is used should be varied
by the Referee, depending on what the value is in relation to the magical
value.

In all cases, the value of the item in magic should be additional in the
case of all Gems that are listed in the Gems, Jewels and Jewelry section of
Book Four.

Finally, where an item's effect lasts more than 24 hours you should double
its determined value. If the effect is permanent or must be actively
negated by some other power, the determined cost of the item should be
tripled.

SECOND, my proposed changes:........................First Draft.......
  Though the value of a magic item is 'whatever the market will bear', the
market values magic items roughly according to the use and EL of the item.

The base factor of permanent magical items equals EL GC.
If the item's effect is only on the wearer or requires another substance to
operate, multiply the base factor times 2.
If the item has castable magical powers, provides important defensive
advantages or is a weapon, multiply the base factor times 5.
If a weapon has a castable magic power, or an item is named or special,
multiply the base factor by 10.
After all multiplications, add the MEL (or baseline) of the item in GC.
Finally add in the base non-magical cost of the item before it was
enchanted.

Guidlines:
  1 GC/(Characteristic Increase/10)(RU)
  1 GC/(EL80 skill increase/10) (RU)
  Per power or attribute that does not relate to any of the factors used in
the formula above - x1.5
  Items with poisonous or magical attributes that are not death spells or
poisons. - x2 per power.
  Items that are fatal if they have their desired effect - x3 per power.
  Items that have (by the decision of the Referee) a very special power or
attribute - x5, 10 or 20 (depending on the decision of the Referee).

IMPORTANT - In all cases, if an item is of non-human manufacture, double
its final value unless the person who is selling it is a member of the race
that made it.

The base factor of a Temporary Magic Item (such as a potion) is EL SC. The
MEL is added in SC, not GC.

  Natural Magic Items may be permanent or temporary depending on the item.
If they require enhancement and are commonly known for their potential
powers the base factor, before enhancement, is 1D6 CC. If the potential
powers are not commonly known then use 1D6 BB. No MEL bonus applies before
enhancement.
  Value the Natural Magic Item as if it were a magic item made by an
enchanter with the minimum skill required to cast the powers.

NOTE - The Referee can vary these prices as specified in the Economic
Variation rules. In all cases, the items only have their full value if the
buyer believes that they are magic. If he is not a trained magic-user, this
is determined to a great extent by who the seller is, i.e. if a field slave
walks up and offers to sell a named sword, the buyer is not likely to
believe him.

  If magic is especially common use SC instead of GC.


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